


On The Radio

by pkmya



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: M/M, OKAY so not really romantic, dunno what else to write, more like bros though i do ship origin hella hard, set in bw2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 05:37:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3197375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pkmya/pseuds/pkmya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I Don't Want to Brick Break Your Heart" was the stupidest yet most hilarious song title he'd ever heard. It was also just one of the many things Steven contemplated while jet lagged and exhausted at the Pokemon World Tournament.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On The Radio

**Author's Note:**

> ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FF.NET LIKE 2 YEARS AGO
> 
> not really romance, more like bros but i do ship them completely. this is dumb but it's one of my favourite things i've ever written lmao. Set at the Pokemon World Tournament in BW2

Steven stood outside the hotel, waiting for nothing in particular. Actually, to be more accurate, waiting for nothing at all. He was just looking around the city, trying to work out what he should do or where he should go. So far he was coming up empty, but he wasn't trying very hard anyway. The trip over to Unova had been exhausting and while he'd already been here for a few days, he was still on Hoenn time and felt like nothing more than sleeping.

But he wouldn't, otherwise he'd never get used to it here and would end up competing in that tournament half-asleep which would cause nothing but heartache. It was bad enough screwing up in a regular battle, so it was definitely a no-go for an internationally televised tournament where he'd be competing against the other regions. Yeah, no pressure or anything.

Speaking of that tournament, he'd been trying to work out why he was invited to compete in it the whole journey over here and was still struggling with it now. It was the _'Champions Tournament'_ and all the current Champions had been invited...but he wasn't the Champion and hadn't been for several years now. So in that case, why didn't they just invite everyone who'd ever beaten the Leagues? To make it more confusing, those kids from Kanto, Red and Green were here as well, and they certainly weren't the Champions either.

With that in mind, he'd come up with the reasoning that maybe they'd invited all the people who held some sort of record. Green was the youngest Champion in history, and Red, Steven was pretty sure he had had the shortest reign. Not because he'd been beaten or anything, but because about two hours after winning he had given the position to Lance. He suspected that wasn't the reason the guy had been invited though, because unless you'd been living under a rock your whole life, you knew who Red was. Kid was a machine and having him there would definitely make the whole event a ton more popular.

He had a feeling that Red's appearance here hadn't been entirely of his own volition though and that Green had something to do with it. From what he could tell, they seemed quite close and the amount of times he'd seen (and heard) the latter talking Red's ear off sort of gave it away too. He made a mental note to ask them about it later, how they knew each other, that is. They were complete opposites, so it was kind of funny that they were friends.

Anyway, Alder was another case of ex-Champion. He hadn't held the title in Unova for two years now, but then again, this _was_ his home region so it was understandable why he was here. He was a pretty respected figure throughout the region and Steven wouldn't have been surprised if there was a huge controversy if he hadn't been invited. It was nice to be able to meet up with them all again (and those he had just met) though, they so rarely got to and it was always a good training opportunity when they did.

And then there was him. Believe it or not, he actually held the record for the longest time as Champion. Winning the title when he was seventeen, he'd only thrown the towel in when he'd gotten to twenty-five, meaning he'd managed to hold onto it for eight years. He hadn't lost either (besides to that kid back when Team Magma and Aqua were around, but that had been an entirely different situation), but had given it up by his own free will. Why? Well, he'd get to that.

Contrary to popular belief, Steven was actually a good trainer. Crazy, right? And in fact _daddy_ hadn't been paying for him to hold that position. Just because his father was the CEO of a huge business, that didn't mean they weren't honest people. He'd worked damn hard to get there and to hear all that had been pretty harsh. But he'd put up with it for eight long years until then one day it had amounted to too much for the poor guy and he'd just...quit.

Wallace had unfortunately been there when he was having his semi-breakdown about it and had had to try and comfort him. He wouldn't lie, it had been a pretty dismal situation, but something good had come out of it for both of them, and that was that Wallace had been given the position. They had had to battle to make things easier, but he'd let him win. Not that Wallace would ever admit that though.

He had left after that, ignoring all the comments made ( _"Oh no, maybe the Devon Corporation has gone bankrupt?" "I guess being able to buy your way anywhere got boring."_ ) and heading off to do his own thing. It had probably been the best decision he'd ever made and things had been going pretty smoothly since then.

Now, all this complaining he'd been doing about it made it sound like he didn't want to be here, but it was quite the opposite actually. He was more than happy to have been invited, it wasn't the League that had treated him badly and he liked the people, he was just tired.

And that incessant pop music pumping out someone's hotel window certainly wasn't helping either. It was probably Flannery, she seemed like she'd be into that sort of thing, but it wouldn't surprise him if it were Wallace. Steven wasn't keen on popular music in the slightest; as far as he was concerned it was all about partying and then to make it worse, the lyrics were repetitive and just straight up annoying. So he didn't listen to it, but it was always playing in stores and out car windows making it hard to avoid.

The song that was playing at the moment he'd only heard since arriving in Unova and apparently it was really popular because it had been on _everywhere._ It was horrific, but for some reason he hadn't been able to tune it out like he usually did. Maybe it was because the chorus was catchier or maybe it was because he was in a different region or maybe, _just_ maybe it was because of the lyrics.

Or rather, one lyric in particular.

_Doing shots of patrón with Lance and Steven Stone._

He did _not_ remember giving anyone permission to use his name in a song, but apparently that was because he had been too busy getting smashed on tequila. He rolled his eyes at the thought, okay, he did want to get one thing straight regarding that. He didn't like to drink, so the song was completely misleading in that respect. And another thing, even if he did like to, he would _not_ do it with Lance. The guy was hard enough to deal with at the best of times, so he didn't want to imagine what _that_ would be like.

Oh yeah, there was another thing as well.

_I Don't Want to Brick Break Your Heart._

That was the title of the song, seriously.

Seriously.

Was that not the most ridiculous yet hilarious name ever? When Wallace had first told him that's what it was called, he'd lost it. He couldn't believe that someone had actually named a song that, and neither could Wallace because they'd both spent a good five or ten minutes laughing about it. It still made him chuckle now and hearing it playing out whoever's window that was, he had to suppress a smile.

"Steven!" Well, speaking of. That all-too-familiar voice echoed from behind him, interrupting his thoughts and he spun around to find Wallace walking out the lobby. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for something to keep me awake," He answered, yawning as if on queue. "I'm still exhausted."

"Go do some shots," He grinned, jerking his head in the direction of the music. Turned out it hadn't been him playing it, after all. "I'm sure they'll keep you awake and marvellous for the tournament," He narrowed his eyes at his friend which only caused his grin to get bigger. "We've got to train for that too, so maybe battling would help?"

He mulled it over for a moment, weighing up his (lack of) options. It would be good to get in some training, but the tournament was over a week away and he was too tired to even start considering strategies and tips right now. Plus, as much as he loved it, the idea of battling right now was really, really unappealing.

"I'm too tired," He concluded. "Let's train tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, I concede defeat," He said, holding the edges of his shirt and moving in a way that slightly resembled a curtsey. "I'm tired as well, so I'm glad you said no. We'll at least go for a look around town though, so come on, Steve."

Steve, huh? Well, two could play at that game. The taller male had started to make his way across the street and Steven purposely waited until he was just about on the other side to call out, "Okay, _Wally._ "

He noticed him go rigid and slowly he turned around, looking at him with eyebrows knitted together in annoyance. It was Steven's turn to grin this time and he had to stop himself from laughing when Wallace said through clenched teeth, "It's Wallace _._ "

"It's Steven." They stared at each other for a moment until Steven couldn't help it anymore and started to laugh. Ever since they'd met each other he'd known Wallace hated his name being shortened. Admittedly he didn't like it much either (so why Wallace had decided to whip it out now was anyone's guess), but he didn't get nearly as mad or upset when someone called him Steve. Wallace looked at him for a little longer before he started to laugh too, at this point they were both so exhausted and it really wasn't as funny as it seemed.

Once they managed to calm down, Steven crossed the road and joined him. He wasn't sure where they were headed, but he didn't care, he was just happy to finally be doing something. If Wallace hadn't come along then, there was no doubt in his mind that he would have fallen asleep right then and there. But of course there's always the good and the bad, and the bad in this case was that each step felt like he had a metagross attached to his feet. Even walking was _so_ much work and was requiring more energy that he had to spare at the moment.

At first it seemed they were headed towards those markets in the middle of the city but as they neared, Wallace seemed to think better of it and turned towards the ocean instead. It was a good call as dragging themselves through crowds of people at the moment probably wasn't the smartest idea.

Wallace kicked his shoes off when they got to the sand and Steven shook his head, nothing had changed. The guy had always been a slave to fashion, but when water was involved that all flew out the window. It was understandable of course, he had been raised in Sootopolis City and how could you _not_ love water coming from a place like that? He always invited him to come explore caves when he knew there was a lake or spring or something like that inside too because he knew if he didn't he would be heartbroken, and he liked seeing his friend happy and being himself. He was a nutcase, obviously, but would they be friends if he wasn't?

He bent down and took off his own shoes; from where he was knelt he looked up at Wallace and smiled. It was returned and then in all their barefooted glory, they traipsed across the sand towards the jetty that was jutting out over the water.

"It's so different to home," Wallace mused. It was the first time either of them had spoken in a while. "The water is darker and the waves are smaller."

"They don't have Kyogre to help out," He replied, staring out at the ocean in front of him. It was a nice view, but it made him realise just how far away from Hoenn they were. He wasn't homesick or anything, it was just a bit hard to adjust to being somewhere new. Changing the subject, he turned to look at his friend. "I bet this is where Janine and Falkner were last night, it'd be pretty easy to lose track of time."

"I know!" He nodded furiously, loving the chance to gossip. "Can you believe it? Turning up late to the opening ceremony of the Pokemon World Tournament! It's the biggest event any of us have been to, so missing half of it is unbelievable."

He chuckled at the enthusiasm. "I wonder what they were doing."

"Probably making out," He said it with such seriousness that his quiet laughter turned into a full-on fit. "They totally dig each other, so it wouldn't be surprising."

In between the laughing he managed to choke out, "You're probably right," Wallace watched him with a bemused expression - apparently he didn't see how funny his statement had been - until Steven straightened himself up and took a deep breath. Laughing was exhausting, that's probably why he was so damn tired. "Are you looking forward to the tournament?"

"Of course! I love any chance to show off my elegant and graceful style," He said. "And then there's the battling too, my pokemon are going to put on a magnificent show on that stage, it'll be fit only for the best!" He started to rattle on about it, using as many adjectives as possible and losing Steven completely. He let him continue, knowing that he wasn't missing that much and all he really wanted was for him to nod and say _'yes'_. "...I know you were the Champion for a long time, but wouldn't it make more sense if only the current Champions competed?"

Okay, so _now_ he was listening. "What was that, Wallace?"

"Well, you haven't been the Champion for quite a while now," He started, oblivious. "So I just don't get why you're here."

_Hey, do you know what tact means?_

"Thanks," His tone was harsh. He wasn't about to get this shit from his friend now, was he? "So I get nothing for holding the title for eight years then, do I?"

A second passed between them and then suddenly he seemed to understand exactly what he'd said and the implications it held for him. His face fell and he started to backtrack. "No, no, that's not what I meant." He held his hands up in defense. "You deserve to compete more than most people,"

He looked at the guy and then to the water behind him. Hmm, maybe that would do the trick? Seeing the expression on his face, Wallace looked terrified and took a step back (which actually made his job easier). "Too late," He reached out and pushed his friend, sending him plummeting into the water. Peering over the edge so he could see him re-surface and placing his hands on his hips, he said, "Don't forget who gave you the position, after all." And then broke into a grin. Man, he couldn't stay mad at him, no matter what the situation.

It took him a little while to register what had actually happened, but when he finally did and knowing he was now off the hook, Wallace reached up and grabbed the bottoms of Steven's pants. He stumbled slightly so he pulled again, this time harder so _he_ fell off the jetty too.

Hitting the water wasn't pleasant and he shivered slightly, it was a _bit_ colder than expected. When his head broke the surface, he shook his hair out of his eyes and sent the water flying into Wallace's face.

"Hey, watch it!"

"That's what you get!" He ducked underwater to avoid the returning splash and when he deemed it was safe, he splashed the Champion right back and before he knew it, they were having a full-on water fight. It was like he was ten years old again, mucking about in the bay of Dewford back home and actually sort of having fun.

"Guys," Another voice interrupted them this time and they paused, mid-splash to try and find the source. It was coming from Alder who was standing with Lance on the grassy bank of the ocean, probably training or something. Funny, he hadn't noticed them earlier. "I'm all for having fun, but try to show a little responsibility, okay? Remember where we are." Lance was smirking and if Steven didn't feel like a kid before, he certainly did now.

"Lighten up, Alder," Wallace called back. "There's no one around, it's alright." The former-Champion shook his head and turned back to Lance, muttering something that Steven could barely make out. It sounded like _'these young people',_ but he couldn't be sure.

Delirious from exhaustion at this point, he didn't notice at first when his face was hit once more with a whole lot of water. He blinked to get it out of his eyes and when he did finally realise, Wallace had already gotten a head start and was swimming madly to the shoreline. Taking it as a challenge, he took up chase and followed him, eyes fixed firmly on the retreating trainer.

"You're going to get it, Wallace! You can't beat me!" He shouted and then added under his breath, "Just like you can't in a battle."

**Author's Note:**

> I always imagine Steven being super serious about everything and Wallace convincing him to have more fun. Also, the Janine/Falkner thing, I wrote a oneshot a while ago about them hanging on the beach before the PWT but took it down, so that's what that is about.
> 
> One last thing, that song Steven hates is actually based on a real song called "Rock$tar". It's a terrible song and it's really embarrassing to admit this, but I actually like it, haha. Go listen to it, if you'd like.


End file.
